Sperm Donor Article Index for
Sperm
Website Links For
Sperm
 

Information About

Sperm Donor





TYPES OF DONORS



Anonymous or non-anonymous

Several countries, e.g. Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Britain, Switzerland, Australia the Economist and New Zealand only allow non-anonymous sperm donation. However, the child may, when grown up (15-18 years old), get contact information from the sperm bank about his/her Biological Father .


Private donors

Besides the men who donate to a sperm bank there are also men who donate on a private basis to females, who are therefore usually known to the recipient.


LIMITATION



Denmark

In Denmark , one donor may give rise to 25 children. Cryos (Danish)

However, Denmark also exports semen to other countries, and for the donors participating in that way there is practically no limit. Since the limits for each country that is receiving the samples are followed, the risk of consanguity is reduced.


Sweden

In Sweden , a donor may give a child to a maximum of 6 couples. However, each pair may have a sibling in addition. Thus, the limit is 12 children per donor. Sahlgrenska Hospital's sperm donor information (Swedish) Karolinska University Hospital Nevertheless, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) recommends a maximum of 6 children per donor SOSFS 2005:17, Ändring i föreskrifterna och allmänna råden (SOSFS 2002:13) om assisterad befruktning (Swedish).


United States

In the United States one donor may have one child by donation for every 320,000 people. Sydsvenskan: Här börjar livet för 100 svenska barn varje år. Av Karen Söderberg 17 april 2005 (Swedish)


DONOR TRACKING

Even when the donor had chosen to be non-anonymous, there are still opportunities to find the biological father for curious people conceived by donor sperm. Registries and DNA-databases are useful for this purpose.


Tracking by registries

There is no national registry in , half-siblings, and donors—through the unique donor identity numbers assigned by the sperm banks to the donors. Meetings between donors and their offspring and between half-siblings have in general been extremely successful and are becoming increasingly common occurrences.


Tracking by DNA-databases

However, even sperm donors who have not initiated contact through a registry are now increasingly being traced by their offspring. In the current era there can be no such thing as guaranteed Anonymity . Through the advent of DNA Testing and Internet access to extensive Database s of information, one sperm donor has recently been traced. In 2005 it was revealed (3-Nov-05 New Scientist Magazine) that an enterprising 15-year-old used information from a DNA test and the internet to identify and contact his genetic father, who was a sperm donor. This has brought into question the ability of sperm donors to stay anonymous.


SEE ALSO



REFERENCES



EXTERNAL LINKS


General sites



Contact registries (find offspring, siblings, and donor)

  • Donor Sibling Registry (A non-profit organization which assists individuals conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation to make mutually desired contact with others with whom they share genetic ties -- donors, offspring & half-siblings).

  • UK Donorlink (UK Voluntary Information Exchange and Contact Register for donors and donor-conceived people)

  • Australian Infertility Treatment Authority Registers (Registers relating to Donor Conception in Victoria, Australia)



Sperm bank directories

  • SpermBanker.com (Searchable listing of U.S. sperm donors from all United States sperm banks)



Private donor listings/groups